Investment into women’s health strategy first step in right direction

Federal Health Minister, The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, has announced an $18 million investment into women’s health research as the first step towards the National Women’s Health Strategy 2020 – 2030.

The funding will identify what is required to improve health outcomes for women and girls, and provide a framework for action.

Principal Director of The George Institute for Global Health, Professor Robyn Norton AO, said the investment can facilitate change in the health system to ensure it addresses the health priorities, not only of women and girls, but all Australians.

“There is a lot of work to be done to achieve health equity for women and girls in Australia, and this is a welcome step in the right direction.”

“Women and men experience health differently, and this funding goes a long way to acknowledging the need to both identify those differences and to find evidence-based solutions to address them.”

The announcement follows the first in a series of consultations for the development of the Women’s Health Strategy that The George Institute is pleased to be a part of.

Program Manager of The George Institute for Global Health’s Women’s Health Program, Kelly Thompson, said:

“There is increasing awareness in the community that women’s health doesn’t just mean maternal health, but that it encompasses women’s health at all ages.

“As a nation we face challenges due to an ageing population and increasing rates and complexity of chronic diseases. These challenges require a whole of system response, starting with prevention, through to finding novel, cost-effective and comprehensive patient-centred models of care.

“The strategy needs to consider how best to integrate pregnancy management with the prevention of chronic disease and injury, as well as consider how best to address sex and gender differences in health outcomes.

“The strategy also needs to focus on closing the gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, where life expectancy is decreasing, and to focus on addressing health issues associated with domestic violence.”